Gladstone Small facts for kids
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| Full name |
Gladstone Cleophas Small
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| Born | 18 October 1961 St. George, Barbados |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm fast-medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 521) | 7 August 1986 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 1 February 1991 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 92) | 1 January 1987 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 20 August 1992 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1999 | Warwickshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985/86 | South Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: Cricinfo, 24 September 2005
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Gladstone Cleophas Small (born 18 October 1961) is a former English cricket player. He played in 17 Test matches and 53 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for the England cricket team. He was part of the England teams that finished as runners-up in the 1987 Cricket World Cup and the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Gladstone was mainly a fast bowler. He was chosen for the 1986–87 Ashes series in Australia. There, he took two "five-wicket hauls" (meaning he got five wickets in one innings). These helped England win the series.
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Start
Gladstone Small was born in Barbados. He moved to England when he was just over 14 years old. Even though he was a bit older than usual for changing cricket nationality, he was allowed to play for England. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) approved his request.
Gladstone has a rare condition called Klippel–Feil syndrome. This means some bones in his neck are joined together.
In 1995, a TV show called Respect made a documentary about his life. It was shown on Carlton Television. He also studied at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Playing for Clubs
Gladstone Small was a very important player for Warwickshire. In 1994, his team, which included famous players like Brian Lara, won three big trophies. These were the County Championship, the Benson & Hedges Cup, and the Axa Equity & Law League.
He also played in the finals when Warwickshire won the NatWest Trophy in 1989 and 1993. He helped them win the 1997 Axa Life League and the 1995 County Championship too. He played his last "first-class" match in 1997 and his last "one-day" match in 1999. Later, he became a director for the Professional Cricketers' Association.
When he first started playing, Gladstone had some trouble with "no balls" (when a bowler bowls illegally). Once, he bowled ten no balls in just one over! But he worked hard and became a very good bowler for Warwickshire. This led to him playing his first "Test match" for England. It was against New Zealand in 1986.
International Cricket Career
Ashes Success
Gladstone was chosen to play for England in the 1986–87 Ashes series in Australia. At first, he wasn't picked for the main Test matches. But then, he was called in at the last minute for the fourth Test match in Melbourne. He played amazingly, taking 5 wickets for only 48 runs in Australia's first innings. He also got two more wickets in the second innings.
He was named the "Man of the Match" for his great performance. This was a big moment in his career. He was especially good at bowling "outswingers," which made the ball curve away from the batsman. All seven of his wickets in that match were caught by fielders. He kept his place for the next match in Sydney, where he took another five wickets. He was England's best bowler in that series, taking 12 wickets for only 15 runs each. England didn't win another Ashes series until 2005.
World Cups and Other Highlights
Gladstone was part of England's team for both the 1987 and 1992 Cricket World Cups. He played in the final of the 1987 World Cup. In 1992, he played in the semi-final but not the final.
He had his best "One Day International" bowling performance in 1988. He took 4 wickets for 31 runs against the West Indies in Birmingham. He won the "Man of the Match" award again. He was also part of the England team that beat a very strong West Indies team in Jamaica in 1990. This was England's first Test victory against the West Indies in 16 years! Gladstone took five wickets in that match.
Later in that tour, he had his best overall Test match figures, taking 8 wickets for 183 runs in Barbados. England lost that match closely. However, a cricket review noted that Gladstone "bowled with dedicated skill and control."
Batting Contributions
Gladstone was also a useful batsman, even though he usually batted lower down the order. In 1989, he helped save a Test match against Australia. He scored his highest Test score of 59 runs. His runs helped England avoid having to bat again immediately after Australia, which is called "saving the follow on." The fans cheered loudly because England had been struggling in that series. This was one of only two Test matches he played in the three years after his success in the 1986–87 Ashes, mainly due to injuries.
The next year, he scored 44 runs without being out as England beat New Zealand. This helped England win a rare series. However, he was then dropped from the Test team.
Later Career
Gladstone was chosen again for the 1990–91 Ashes series. But this time, he and the team were not as successful. He didn't play any more Test cricket after that.
In one unusual moment in the third Test of that series, the wicketkeeper, Jack Russell, got a batsman out by "stumping" him off Gladstone's bowling. This is usually something that happens with slower bowlers, not fast bowlers. He played his last full international match (a one-day international) in 1992. However, the next year, he hit the winning run when England won the Hong Kong Sixes tournament. He also played in the team that won the title again the following year.
